July 17, 2006: Hard Times On Sealand

Sealand, the self-proclaimed independent nation on an old antiaircraft platform off the English coast, recently suffered a devastating fire. Originally, Sealand appears to have been merely an exercise in cheek - "Hey, let's occupy that deserted platform before it falls down, and declare ourselves independent!" It has its own royal family, currency, and coinage, as described on its official website. It also has internal politics, which have from time to time become violent . . . here's the site of the government in exile, ejected after a failed coup!